Farai Starthistle
Farai Starthistle is a Kaldorei Druid of the Cackle, taken to a feral path of druidism that is far from the more traditional aspects of the Cenarion Circle. At a glance, she appears savage and untamed, wearing only dirt-covered leathers and bearing the foul stench of an animal to follow her. This was someone more attuned to the way of barbaric wilderness than the perils of civilization. Hanging at her neck, alongside a silver crescent pendant, is a carved wooden symbol denoting loyalty to some long forgotten totem of worship heralding from the Barrens of Kalimdor, the visage of a Spotted Hyena made clear upon it. Despite what others may assume of her chosen approach, she works diligently to cultivate nature by living alongside it, and by guiding its restoration in natural solutions rather than intervening with magic. Physical Description This Kaldorei woman strikes an intimidating figure, buxom and stern-shouldered, every facet of her body is layered in rippling, trained muscle, lean with the experience that has crafted her form within the reach of physical perfection. Taller and stronger than the typical males of her race, her presence and confident stature immediately commands dominance and challenge, an impression only bolstered by the unabashed ferocity lurking behind moonlit silver eyes. Framed by unkempt tresses of violet hair, her countenance is measured with an inordinate natural beauty that may imply serenity were it not for the common baring of elven fangs to remind others of her dangerous nature. Though clearly beyond the societal age of maturity, she is still lacking any display of the traditional facial markings of her people, instead awash in the everyday adornments of the wild such as small bones and feathers woven into her messy locks. Perhaps noticeable even beyond any of her other traits, and without her chosen form of shapeshifting, she absolutely reeks of the overwhelming musky scent usually borne by wild Hyenas. Those in her general vicinity may find themselves immediately stricken by the overpowering odors of sweat, stagnant mud, and matted fur. This is somewhat made understandable given her inadequate habits of maintaining hygiene, always being covered in a thin coat of dirt and grime and loathe to properly wash herself of her own accord. Regardless of the natural behavioral reasons for her state of distasteful aroma, it certainly isn't any pleasant sensation to breathe in, especially to those who are unacclimated to being around her. Equipment Information Making it a point to travel extremely lightly and without much more than she might absolutely need, it is rare to find her wearing anything that hasn't been fashioned herself from the many creatures she hunts. Self-harvested fur and leather adorns her only where necessary and is solely supported in making herself presentable to others by a collection of tightly woven bandage bindings, they themselves often left unchanged for weeks at a time. There appears to be very little reason that she would ever seek to cleanse her apparel, allowing dust, blood, and grime to collect in equal measure without any regard unless the leather is in the risk of failing or being otherwise severely damaged. All throughout the ensemble, the look of wild nature is preserved; fangs, claws, pelts, and fragments of bone accompany her form wherever they can, some as threatening trophies and others merely serving as decoration. In various places where makeshift pouches have been knitted on and her clothing is fastened with leather straps, she stows away slivers of dried meat, jerky, and other such rations for her own convenience. At her neck hangs a silver crescent moon pendant and a carved wooden symbol denoting loyalty to some long forgotten totem of worship heralding from the Barrens of Kalimdor, the visage of a Spotted Hyena made clear upon it. Aside from metal spikes sewn into the leather upon her knuckles, the small sheathe clasped onto her waist sometimes holds the only other mundane weapon she carries, a crude but effective dagger constructed of quilboar tusks and stolen orcish steel. History ( Spoilers for this character's backstory follow, and are presented here for the sake of providing a proper record. Though it is highly unlikely that any of this would ever be revealed even through roleplay, if you'd rather not know anything of her unspoken background then it is recommended that you avoid reading this section. ) Early Life Born roughly four centuries prior to the Third War beneath the colorful glades of Forest Song in Ashenvale, Farai never knew the identity of her father, and so too was her mother unknowing of that fact as well; there being a small selection of potential suitors that may have been her patron, but none of them quite so easily reached or found within her mother's desire to further pursue. Her mother, a beautiful young wayward priestess named Ithrien Starthistle, took to raising her unexpected daughter alone as she was destined to by the will of the Goddess, and in this manner entreated her with the duty and devotion she deserved. It was an affection, however, that many others might have found to be superficial and strained. In her private moments, Ithrien grew frustrated in the presence of Farai, by the burdens of parenting her when her ample energy seemed directed into childlike mischief and mayhem. The Priestess, who had before lived so fleetingly free of overcoming responsibilities, was now tethered into a life of motherhood that she had not entirely wished to lead. As she felt threatened by the impact this troubling development would emplace upon her future, Ithrien began to lash out at youthful tendencies of misbehavior and became shouldered down in the harsh judgments of an elder as an outlet for her reluctance to watch over the young Kaldorei. Farai's childhood was one of duality, between the times where her mother truly accepted her as her own, and the hours that she seemed to distance herself from the thought of loving her and indeed that she was truly of her own flesh and blood. For every tender hug they shared, there existed the opposite harshness of her mother's words shouting down her misinterpretation of fabled stories. Always straddling the lines between family and fealty, whatever love remained there to behold was only fragmented at best. Eventually, a certain balance between both extremes was achieved once Farai had grown beyond her earliest years and Ithrien settled into what she viewed by then as her only temporary place remaining within the walls of a Temple, awaiting the time that Farai would at least be old enough to fend for herself and leave her alone. The Priestess' Shadow ( This page is a work in progress. ) Beneath A Cackling Moon ( This page is a work in progress. ) Destinies And Homecomers ( This page is a work in progress. ) Personality First impressions of the druid will inevitably be quite telling of her feral and animalistic nature, the behaviors exhibited by her at first seeming far more akin to the aspects of her chosen druidic totem than those of a traditional Kaldorei, sometimes taken to engaging in fits of excessive heckling laughter. From her physical posturing to the aggressive tone she often pursues when speaking, she absolutely exudes a sense of dominance over others and to this end will always attempt to instate herself as the alpha in any situation where it is possible. It is not uncommon for an audible growl to be heard rumbling in her throat and for her to bare her elven fangs in direct challenge over even the most menial of disputes and demands she might hold. Additionally, and regardless of social standing, she is prone to relentlessly infringing upon personal space, sometimes as a show of boldness and other times to display connection to those she considers friends and allies. Whether one knows her or not, however, she will inevitably incorporate physical contact as a large part of any conversation, usually exemplified in occasional shoves, slams, and playful roughhousing. And in this sense, she seems to lack any definition of being overtly gentle, even towards those she cares about. Despite her challenging and competitive nature, she is entirely willing to accept defeat once it has been proven to her, and will happily follow the commands of those who show themselves worthy of her attention, it is simply a far more difficult matter for such impressions to hold indefinitely. She is, however, also seen to be extremely misandristic and in any event will invariably hold herself above anyone of the opposite gender, believing that subservience to matriarchal customs is the natural way of things and being mostly unwilling to compromise at all on the issue. Among people she trusts or has built a positive relationship with, she may prove herself to be jovial, good-humored, and adeptly defensive of those she considers to be hers. Relationships ( The following section details the most important relationships that she has built in her contact with others. ) Farai's Clan "..." '' ''- ... The clan of wild hyenas that Farai has lived alongside during her time in the Barrens. Zulfi'shi "..." '' ''- ... The person who taught Farai in the ways of Fisi. Ithrien Starthistle "You are savagekin, and you are not welcome here. Every moment I look on you, standing as you are beneath the moon, I look and am ashamed." '' ''- Ithrien's last words to Farai before she left. ( To be expanded upon later. ) Skills and Abilities ... Shapeshifting: Hyena Form She can shapeshift into the form of a massive, violet-furred Hyena by virtue of her reverence for Fisi. Quotes "We seek not to improve nature, but to nurture its destined path." "The first teaching of Fisi is that nothing on the savannah is wasted." Trivia * ... * Special thanks must be given to Arrodis, whose magnificent wiki page and superior ability with coding for wikia has been an inspiration and resource for my own edits. Category:Characters Category:Night Elf Category:Druids